What If
by Seabreak
Summary: What if the meteorite flew early? What if there was another team bent on stopping Team Aqua and Magma by controlling Rayquaza? What if Brendan had more friends to back him up in his ordeals? What if he made a friend back in Johto? What if Brendan did... this? Rated T to be safe, and spoilers for ORAS.
1. Start of Something New

**A/N:** I do not own Pokemon.

Somewhere, out in space, Rayquaza was fighting the toughest battle in eons... Even harder than quelling Kyogre and Groudon. A strange force caused a meteorite to project towards earth at unforeseen speeds, causing Rayquaza to become agitated and prompted to stop the meteorite before it turned earth into a wasteland.

Dragon Pulse after Dragon Pulse, Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, Rayquaza was doing all it could to hold off the meteorite. Alas, no such luck. Rayquaza made a decision. A decision that would surely doom the world on the off chance that Kyogre and Groudon should awaken, but what were the odds of that? Rayquaza used its last remaining power to seal itself into the meteorite, stopping it dead in its tracks.

If Rayquaza were to ever unseal itself, the meteorite would start moving again. It was a risk Rayquaza would have to take, but if it meant protecting the earth, it was worth it. Rayquaza was absolutely sure that Kyogre and Groudon would not awaken anymore... but what if they did?

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, Jasmine, I'll be safe." I mumbled into my PokeNav as the moving truck hit more bumps on the road. "You sure you're fine out there?" Jasmine asked, curiosity clear in her voice. "What's it like out there? Is it like Johto? What kind of Pokemon are there-" "I'd love to answer those questions," I snorted, sarcasm dripping in my voice, "but as of now I'm in the back of a freaking moving truck with no windows." Jasmine sheepishly grinned. "...Oops. So, how's Ohm doing?" The Magnemite peered out from behind my head, beeping happilly. "He looks like he's having a blast. Right, Ohm?" I patted the Magnemite and he sparked. "Ow." Jasmine giggled.

Though, from what I've seen of Hoenn after the long, _long_ boat ride, Hoenn is a lot different from the traditional Johto I'd lived in all my life. Hoenn was a lot more natural, almost pristine and untouched. Well, kinda like Johto in that sense, but Hoenn was far more modern and pleasant. Olivine City was a nice place, but living there for 16 years with the only person in my age group being Jasmine got boring real quick. And don't tell Jasmine I called her boring, or she'd send Amphy the Ampharos after me. Arceus knows what that girl can be on a bad mood.

I bid my farewell to Jasmine and opened a message from the local Professor Birch, explaining the world of Pokemon in all its glory. Honestly, it feels like something I've heard around 5 times. Ohm was interested in it, though, beeping at the sight of a Pokemon on the screen.

"Hey there, Ohm, how ya doing?" I asked the Magnemite. Ohm beeped and sparked, flying onto my hat and decided to fall asleep on it. "Sleepy. That figures." I closed the PokeNav and waited for the truck to arrive at Littleroot Town.

* * *

It felt like hours until the truck arrived, but in actuality it was probably only 10 minutes. 10 really boring minutes. I returned Ohm to his Pokeball and leaped out of the truck, taking my first full view of the town I'd live in starting today.

...The town was so small I could turn 180 degrees and see the other half. Ah well, it has a quaint feel to it, so I guess I can't complain. I looked at the exit to the town, which strangely had no road. Where the hell did the truck pass, then?

Before I could think about it anymore, my mom called me from the house door. "Brendan! Welcome to Littleroot town, our new hometown." My mother said. "It's pretty small, but eh, I could get used to this." I replied with a tad bit of contentment in my voice. "You should go inside and look at the place. Come on!" My mom literally dragged me by the arm into the house.

I've seen a lot of weird things in my life, like Jasmine riding her Onix all the way to Cianwood, a horde of Beedrill circling the lighthouse like moths to a flame, but I did not expect to see Vigoroths carrying boxes around the house in my lifetime. I shrugged it off and went into my room. A Wii sitting near the TV... god help me if I ever left this place. Resisting the temptation, I set my clock and went back downstairs.

"Brendan! Come over here, your dad's on TV!" My mom yelled at me, so I ran to the TV and saw... white noise. "Mom, did you get new glasses yet? That doesn't look like dad at all." I said, face deadpan. My mom frowned. "He was just on... guess you missed him. Ah well, why don't you go pay the neighbors a visit?" I could think of a million possible reasons on why I _shouldn't_ pay the neighbors a visit, but before I could say anything, mom said one thing that'd send me out the door in a flash.

"They have a daughter your age." And just like that, I was gone.

* * *

"Oh, you must be Brendan." The lady from next door said. "We've heard a lot about you. In fact, my daughter seems pretty excited to meet you." My face showed respect, but my mind was currently soaring from Unova to Kanto to Kalos all the way back to Unova. "Oh, my mom said something about her as well. Where is she now?" I asked as politely as possible. "Ah, she's not home right now. You can stay and wait for her here if you'd like." She said.

I'm a normal human. I really am. But the first course of action I thought of was immediately walking to her room. Seems pretty similar to mine, except more girly and there was a Pokeball on the floor. I reached for it-

"...Who are you?" A female voice asked from behind me. I froze in place and turned around. "Oh, uh, hi, I'm Brendan, your new neighbor." I sputtered out. I thought she'd be mad that I was practically invading her privacy, but she just smiled. "Hi! I'm May. Welcome to Littleroot." She extended her hand and I shook it. "Hey. Nice place." Smooth, Brendan. _Smooth_. "Thanks. So, you just moved in today, huh?" She had a quizzical look on her face. "Sure did. This guy came with us too." I brought out Ohm's Pokeball and sent him out, accidentally sending him flying towards May.

May shrieked and caught Ohm in her hands. Ohm beeped in confusion. "...You have a Magnemite? That's so cool!" May suddenly exclaimed. I grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head. "Thanks. He was a gift from my friend over in Olivine, which is a city in Johto. There's a funny story of how I got him, actually..."

* * *

Jasmine dragged me into Route 39 practically against my will. "Come on, Brendan! We gotta get you a Pokemon before you move to Hoenn!" I groaned. "Jasmine, you're usually not this hyperactive, why are you doing this?" She simply smiled at me. "I want you to remember me by the Pokemon we get, okay? I might not see you for another few years, so I gotta leave a parting gift." I was touched. "What if Professor Birch give me a Pokemon in Hoenn?"Jasmine looked at me. "What if the doesn't?"

"Hmm... this Miltank seems to be unaware of anything." Jasmine spoke as if she were a wildlife documentor. "Wanna go for it?" She asked. I nodded and ran to the Miltank... but I tripped and slammed into it, tipping it over. "...Brendan, this is not the time to go Miltank tipping. That's tuesdays." I shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't seem like it's awake."

"Brendan?" Jasmine asked. "You hear any.. buzzing?" I looked around. "I see nothing buzzing." And just like that, a horde of Magnemite popped out of the grass, not looking particularly pleased. Jasmine paled. "Run?" I grabbed her arm and made a run for it back to Olivine.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH" Was all I could manage to say as thunderbolts started raining down like halloween candy. Some bolts managed to get close enough to fry the hair off my arms, but Jasmine looked really shaved after taking 3 bolts. "You okay, Jasmine?!" I yelled then she signaled for me to run faster. I thought of something as I ran. 'Hmm... the one in the center looks like the leader. What if I caught it...'

I suddenly stopped. "Brendan! Keep running!" Jasmine shouted at me, but I drew my Pokeball and threw it to the leader Magnemite. The others stopped in their tracks until the Pokeball stopped moving, then the Magnemites suddenly dispersed. I smirked triumphantly as Jasmine passed out cold on the ground, making me follow suit, not before pocketing the Pokeball.

* * *

"Wow, you got chased by a horde of Magnemite. That sounded like fun." May mused. "It wasn't fun waking up and getting the scolding of a lifetime from my mom." I chuckled. "So, this Jasmine..." May trailed off and smirked. "She your girlfriend?" Most people would regress into preschoolers at that question, but I've been asked that more times than I've gotten in trouble for Miltank tipping. Which is, suffice to say, a lot. "Nope, just a childhood friend. We go _way_ back." I replied. "Darn. Say, Brendan, I have this dream of meeting all kinds of Pokemon. My dad's a Professor, so I kinda want to be like him." May said. Hmm, so she's Birch's daughter. Not a surprise.

"Sounds like a nice dream to have." I replied. May nodded and suddenly looked up. "Oh, whoops! I forgot I needed to help my dad observe some Pokemon. Seeya later, Brendan!" She ran out of her room in quite a hurry. Ohm flew onto my shoulder and beeped happily. "Yes, Ohm, she's a nice girl. We'll probably be seeing more of her in the future." I walked out of the house and heard a distant cry for help.


	2. Showoff

**A/N:** No, this Jasmine is gym leader Jasmine, but younger since Hoenn takes place 2 years before Johto. Thanks for the review :)

I rushed out to the gate as fast as I could. "What the hell was that?" I asked nobody in particular. "Um, mister," a little girl near my legs said. "somebody out there sounds like he's in trouble." He? That sounded like a girly scream to me. "Would you go out to see what happened for me?" She asked. "Sure. Stay right there." I ran into Route 101.

"Eeek! Help!" A man(?) yelped from the grass. I peered over and saw a stocky guy being chased by a horrible creature from the depths of hell itself! ...Nah, it was just a Zigzagoon. I wish it were a horrible creature. The man was apparently cornered by the Zigzagoon and couldn't do anything about it. "Hey! You there!" He shouted at me. "Take one of those Pokeballs from that bag in the ground and help me out over here!" I looked at the bag by my feet and thought about using Ohm instead. Oh well, he told me to get one, right?

"Let's see..." I thought out loud. "This guy looks cool." I picked a Pokeball and released the Pokemon resting inside it. "Treecko!" The green lizard Pokemon shouted. Treecko, huh. He looks pretty smug. "Treecko! Use... uh..." It hit me that I had no idea what moves Treecko could use. The Treecko looked at me, question mark pretty much floating around his or her head. "...Tackle?" Treecko shook their head. "...Uh, scratch?" Treecko shook their head again. "Pound?" Treecko leaped to the Zigzagoon and gave it a nice smack in the face with its tail. The Zigzagoon retaliated by slamming headfirst into Treecko, knocking it a few meters away.

Treecko looked pretty unfazed by that attack. They stood back up and assumed a fighting stance oddly similar to a Hitmonchan's. "Treecko! Use pound again!" Treecko leapt up, did a 360 in mid air and slammed hard on Zigzagoon. I really didn't think that was necessary. I shrugged and rolled with it as Zigzagoon smashed body first into Treecko, causing Treecko to slam into Professor Birch then ricochet onto the Zigzagoon, knocking the raccoon Pokemon out cold. Treecko stood up and bowed. Even the first Pokemon I meet in this damn region is a showoff.

"Well... that was an interesting battle." Professor Birch said with a monotone voice. "Regardless, that was a spectacular handling of Pokemon. Say, what's your name?" I tipped my hat. "Brendan." Flawless. Professor Birch lit a bulb. "Ah, Norman's kid! Welcome to Hoenn. Sorry for the strange introduction, I was busy examining the wild Pokemon in this area when this Zigzagoon suddenly came and attacked me out of nowhere." I looked at its tail and saw a footprint. Figures.

"Anyway, prof... is this Treecko a dude or a chick? I have no freaking idea." I just had to get that question answered. If only there were some way I could check my Pokemon's health, gender, power level, maybe even stats... that would make my life so much easier. "That Treecko is a male. A quite interesting one too, seeing his performance in battle." Treecko jumped up and did a 360. Again, really? "Say, Brendan, it's not that safe here, so why don't we talk in my lab?" Sounds good to me, so I nodded and walked with him to the lab.

* * *

"So, Brendan," Professor Birch took a sip from his mug. "Did you have any Pokemon with you in Johto?" I nodded. "Yep. I brought one along for the ride right here actually." I released Ohm from his Pokeball and he flew onto my cap. Ohm beeped happily. Professor Birch's eyes turned the size of dinner plates. "Wha-whaaaat? You have a Pokemon already? Why'd you take one of the Pokemon from my bag then?!" I shrugged. "You told me to." Professor Birched raised a finger in retort, but lowered it when he realized he dug his own grave. "Oh... my fault, then. Treecko really seems to like you, though, so why don't you keep him?"

Treecko and Ohm were glaring at each other, looking like cats about to fight. Which is weird since they're both dudes... or what passes for a guy Magnemite. "Yep, I'll keep him. I think I wanna name him Ark." Professor Birch put his mug on the table and clapped his hands. "It's settled! That Treecko is now yours. Take care of him, Brendan." I nodded respectfully. "Hm, Brendan, why don't you go see my daughter, May? I'm sure she's excited to meet you." Professor Birch said with excitement in his tone. "Actually, I'd already met her earlier." I wasn't about to tell this man that I met her in her room without permission. "Ah, that's great! Why don't you go see her?" I looked at Ohm and Ark, literally just inches away from attacking each other. I sighed and returned them to their Pokeballs. "I'll go find her. Seeya later, prof!" I left the lab.

* * *

Halfway through Route 101, I realized I had no idea where I was going. 'Ah, crap...' I thought to myself. I shrugged it off and kept pressing forward, fighting off wild Pokemon as they popped out from the bushes. Honestly, they didn't look hostile. They appeared scared of the trainer walking through their playground, so I pet a few Zigzagoons on the head while walking to the next town, occasionally fighting off the angry Poochyena that didn't go away after I pet it. After finally making my way through the tall grass, I noticed something crawling up my leg. No... not something. Some _things_. A feeling I often felt in Johto when Weedles would stick to my legs. I looked down and saw Wurmples, like 6 of them, sticking to my leg like car stickers.

'Ah, crap...' I thought to myself. 'Guess I'll have to do this the way Jasmine cleared bugs from my legs.' I sent out Ohm. "Ohm, mind using Thundershock on me?" Ohm blinked and beeped in disagreement. I pat Ohm on the magnet. "It's okay, really. Just give me a good zap." Not wanting to disobey orders from his trainer, Ohm loosed a thunderbolt onto my very being and sending the Wurmples straight off my legs. I gave Ohm a good rub on the screw. I coughed out some smoke in the shape of a Koffing."Thanks, buddy." Ohm beeped in delight as I returned him to his Pokeball.

Continuing my travails, I walked inside the town and saw a replica of Littleroot town with a Pokemon Center and a Pokemart. Strangely, there was only two houses. Still no road... I looked at a sign in the middle of the town. 'Oldale Town... it sure is old.' I thought to myself. I walked over to the Pokemon Center. "Afternoon, Nurse, can I get my Pokemon healed?" I asked the Nurse politely. "Sure, just leave them here. They'll be good in a few minutes." I gave her the Pokeballs containing Ark and Ohm and plopped down on a cushion. I opened my PokeNav and gave someone a call.

"Yo! Falkner!" I yelled into the PokeNav, earning a glare from the nurse. "Sorry, nurse!" I shouted back. She just sighed. "Hello, Brendan." Falkner replied, smug grin on his face. "How's Hoenn?" I shrugged. "It's pretty chill where I am. Two small towns, lush, green pastures, and a Pokemon professor terrified of Zigzagoons. How's Jasmine doing? Shy as ever?" I asked. Falkner shrugged in response. "Oh yes. She still trembles at the sight of any human interaction outside you and I, but she's doing fine." I chuckled, remembering Jasmine literally trembling when I introduced her to Falkner. "So, how's your training going?" I asked. "It's been going pretty well. Pidgeotto and I are killing it." Falkner sent out his Pidgeotto and he perched on Falkner's shoulder.

"Excuse me! Your Pokemon are ready!" The nurse shouted at me from the counter. "Oh, gotta go Falkner, my Pokemon are ready. Talk another time." Falkner waved goodbye then I ended the call. I walked over to the nurse, claimed my Pokemon and left her a small tip. She smiled and bowed at me, thanking me for the tip. Being a Pokemon nurse must be a thankless job.

* * *

I walked out of the Pokemon Center and walked to the west exit. "Hey!" Some weird guy yelled. "Don't go there! I have to document rare Pokemon footprints!" I looked at the prints, which appeared to be a size 8. Knowing that the guy would never let me through, I sighed and decided to go up the north exit instead.

Route 103 was slightly bigger than Route 101. Lots more grass, trees, ledges and a small river on the east. I walked to the river and went for a swim. The water in Hoenn is a lot cleaner and bluer than in Johto; I swam a bit further, Magikarps and piranhas attempting to tackle me, but I shrugged them off and swam to the other side. 'Hmm,' I thought. 'I don't think I'm supposed to be here yet, but I'll go look around.' I walked around the route, battling the occasional trainer, and noticed a cycling road similar to the one in Kanto.

I used to go biking a lot in Johto with Falkner, so this wasn't all that new to me. I took my folding bike out from my bag and rode off onto the cycling road. The wind from up there was amazing! I could legitimately feel all my worries being washed away on that road, until a trainer challenged me to one-on-one Magnemite vs. Magnemite battle. I won, but Ohm looked pretty beat, and Ark was really tired from the trainers on ground, so I picked up the pace and biked to the nearby city.

'Mauville City, huh. This place looks like a massive shopping mall.' I thought to myself as I walked into the city. This place looked a lot like a high tech version of Goldenrod City, both being absolutely huge and having people bustling about from each corner. I walked to the Pokemon center and got my Pokemon healed again, this time opting to play some games on my PokeNav. 'Damn... can't get past this level.' I was about to rage quit but the nurse called me and said my Pokemon were ready. Leaving a tip, I exited the Pokemon center and walked around and noticed a gym. 'I should challenge this gym.' I walked into the gym, ready for my first ever gym battle.


	3. Three Heads for the Price of One

The first thing I saw upon entering the gym was electricity. _Lots_ of electricity. I still hadn't dried up from swimming here, so I needed to be really careful or else I get the shock of a life time. "Hey! You there!" A man standing near the gym statues said. I looked over and walked to him. "Take this! It'll help you on your quest to beat the gym leader, Wattson!" He handed me a bottle of water. I took it and nodded politely. "Thanks. I guess this guy uses Electric Pokemon?" "That's right." He said. "You're going to need to be very careful when using your Water or Flying type Pokemon, or else he'll strike you down. Is this your third gym?" He asked. "No, it's my first. I just got here, actually." The man shrugged as I went on my way.

'Let's see,' I thought. I'd have to disable these electric fields somehow. I noticed a pressure plate by my feet and stepped on it, disabling one wall and activating another. 'Neat, the path's opened up.' I walked over to the next pressure plate-

"Hey! You!" A guitarist yelled from the wall. 'Oh boy...' "Let's have a battle to see which one of us is more shocking!" I groaned and sent out my Pokemon, not wanting to bear any more bad puns.

* * *

"Come on, Magnemite!" The guitarist sent out a Magnemite. 'Hm, this'll be an interesting fight...' "Time to party, Ohm!" I sent out my own Magnemite. The two Magnemites started the battle already, engaging in a fierce staring contest. The guitarist's Magnemite blinked, so apparently Ohm won. "Ohm! Slam it into the wall with Tackle!" Ohm reared its... top screw and barreled into the Magnemite, leaving a large dent in the wall. I nervously looked over to the gym guide from earlier. "Don't worry! That happens all the time!" He hollered back.

I felt sweat drop down my forehead as the guitarist's Magnemite used Sonicboom on Ohm. Ohm looked a bit stunned but kept on. "Alright... Zap it with Thundershock." Ohm summoned lightning from his magnets and directed the bolt to the Magnemite, knocking it clean out. The guitarist smirked as he returned his Magnemite. "That was nice. Let's see if you can take this guy on!" The guitarist sent out a... thunder dog. I have no idea what it is.

Returning Ohm, I sent out Ark, who gracefully pirouetted onto the thunder dog's head. The thunder dog gnawed Ark's leg, sending him back to me. "I think that's turn one done. Electrike, jolt it awake!" The Electrike, or whatever it's called, zapped Ark with a bolt of electricity, legitimately shocking the drowsy Ark awake. "Ark, get some health back with Absorb." Ark sent out a stream of green tron lines and drained Electrike's health, recovering his own. "Electrike, use Charge!" The Electrike glowed with sheer elecricity as it prepared for its next attack. Huh... I didn't think Electrikes learned that move that early. Oh well, he must know a breeder.

'This is bad, one more attack and Ark's down for the count.' I looked around and checked for things I could use to Ark's advantage. 'Hmm... what if...' "Ark, leap onto the Electrike's head!" Ark looked confused, but he gracefully backflipped onto the Electrike. "Strange tactic, but Electrike, finish it off with Thundershock!" The Electrike loosed a thunderbolt to Ark, but Ark leaped out of the way while the Electrike shocked itself, knocking itself out.

The guitarist sighed in defeat as he returned Electrike. "How'd you pull that off? Your Treecko should have gone down with him." I scratched the back of my head. "Treeckos _are_ pretty fast." I went farther into the gym, battling more trainers along the way, including one boy who had a Zigzagoon that flooded half the the gym. This was apparently a regular occurence, as the the gym guide merely hit the drains and all the water drained out in record time.

Stepping on the last pressure plate, Ohm and Ark were filled with extreme determination, going so far as to not fight each other on the way to the gym leader. In fact, they had a healthy staring contest, one so intense their determination legitimately emanated from either eyes. "Alright, you two, save the energy for the battle..." I walked into the gym leader's room.

* * *

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" My eardrums imploded. "Hello! Challenger! Welcome to the Mauville Gym! My name is Wattson, the leader of this gym! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" He continued laughing. This guy's joviality was contagious; I couldn't help but break a smile. "I see you've gotten past all my rigged traps! Let's have a battle, you and I! Prepare to be electrified!" He laughed more as he sent out his first Pokemon, a Voltorb. 'Wow... he didn't waste _any_ time starting that battle. He didn't even let me get a word in...'

I sent out Ark who did a triple flip and a meow. Strange... I didn't know Treeckos could meow. "Ark! Stare it down!" Ark leered the Voltorb, causing it to sweat and drops its defenses. "Wahahaha! Good tactic, kid, but let's see if your Treecko can survive a Rollout!" The Voltorb rolled into Ark, slamming them both against the bleachers.

'Damn, nobody cheering me on.' I shrugged and told Ark to stare it down harder. Ark's leer was so intense, it could probably make Ohm blink. "Wahahahaha! Roll into it again!" The Voltorb rolled into Ark harder, leaving a larger dent in the bleachers.

Ark looked really damn tired. "Alright, Ark, lay into the Voltorb with your strongest pound." Ark leaped gracefully into the air, spinning once, twice, thrice... _four times_ as his tail came crashing down onto the Voltorb. Needless to say, there was now a Pokeball shaped hole in the stadium, courtesy of my stage performer Treecko. With a bow, Ark walked back to my side. I gave him some water. "Good job, buddy. You did great out there." Ark smirked and struck a pose. I should be used to it now, but I'm not.

"Wahahahahahaha! Fine Pokemon handling there, greenhorn, but let's see you take on my pride and joy! Go! Magneton!" Wattson lobbed his last Pokeball onto the stage, revealing Ohm's evolved form, Magneton. '...Do I need two more Magnemites to evolve Ohm?' was all I could think of as I saw Wattson's Magneton.

I think it should go without saying that my bad decision streak prompted me to send out Ohm. Ohm beeped in nervousness, as if saying "Dude... _are you insane?_ _ **That thing's three of me!**_ " I gave Ohm a pat. "It's fine. You can do this." I guess that calmed Ohm down a bit, since he flew back to the arena, staring down the Magneton. The Magneton stared back, but one of its eyes blinked. Huh... I guess having more eyes makes it harder to win a staring contest.

"Wahahahaha! Interesting move! Magneton! Zap it with Thundershock!" The Magneton loosed a bolt of electricity, shocking Ohm and leaving him quite hurt. "Retaliate with Mirror Shot!" Ohm blasted a beam of light to the Magneton, seemingly blinding an eye. I noticed something... off about the Magneton. 'Hmm... Blinding one eye blinds the others. I could use this to my, I mean Ohm's, adv-'

"Deafen it with Sonicboom!" The Magneton's magnets resonated against the walls of the gym, creating a deafening noise that strangely didn't affect Ohm all that much. It must have been too high a sound. "Ohm, paralyze it with Thunder Wave!" Ohm jolted Magneton with a weak thunderbolt that did absolutely nothing. "Wahahahaha! Electric types can't be paralyzed with electric moves!" I groaned as Ohm leered at me and Ark slapped me with his tail.

"Magneton! Send some bombs after that fledgling Magnemite!" The Magneton appeared to use Magnet Bomb on Ohm, hurting him quite a fair bit. The battle lasted for longer than I thought it would, Ohm being a match for the Magneton. Both magnet pokemon traded thundershocks and mirror shots, each taking hits like absolute bosses as neither side wavered. Wattson's jovial demeanor dropped. "I'm getting tired of this! Magneton! Finish it off with Tri Attack!"

'Oh no.' I thought. Ohm was seriously hurt by this point, so that Tri Attack could finish him off for good. 'I have to think of something.' One video game I played a long time ago taught me a good lesson. "If one method doesn't work... Flip your perspective upside down and examine the case from a different angle." That Magneton was strong. It was in the top percentage of all Magnetons. But strength didn't matter...

"if the enemy can't hit! Ohm! Use Mirror Shot on one of the eyes!" With his last power, Ohm fired out a powerful mirror shot, blinding the Magneton and sending its Tri Attack careening to the roof. Wattson looked stunned as I took this opportunity. "Ohm! Finish it off with a well placed tackle!" Ohm reared his top screw and slammed full force into Magneton, knocking it clear out.

"Wahahahahahaha! That was an amazing battle, kid! You won this match fair and square." Wattson returned Magneton and gave me the Dynamo Badge. "Here, kid, proof of your power against the Mauville Gym!" I nodded and bowed. "Thank you, sir. Your Magneton is damn strong." Wattson smiled broadly. "Of course! He's my pride and joy. He's been with me since I was a mere lad. Your Magnemite here has a lot going for him too. He's certainly a tough one!" Wattson gave Ohm a pat on the back, making Ohm beep happily.

"Take this TM, er, what's your name?" He asked. "I'm Brendan." Wattson seemed taken aback. "Whoa! Norman's kid, huh? No wonder you're so strong! Wahahahahahaha! Anyway, this TM contains Volt Switch! Say... You're from Littleroot, right? How in tarnation did you get here? Rusturf Tunnel's still blocked off!" I shrugged in reply. "Well, I swam here from Route 103, and biked to get to Mauville. Sounds reasonable." Wattson looked a little more than surprised. "Ah well, congrats, kid! You really do take after your pops."

* * *

It was getting pretty late, so I decided to eat at the Pokemon center. . I left Ark and Ohm with the nurse and rented a room. Munching on some dinner, I gave Jasmine a call.

"Brendan... it's 10 at night. What's so important?" Jasmine rubbed her eyes. "Well, it's 6 pm here." I chewed on my burger. What were these made of-never mind. "Anyway, I got this earlier." I put my newly acquired Dynamo badge to the screen. "Whoa, a badge!" Jasmine looked in shock. "Congrats, Brendan. I didn't expect you to challenge a gym on your first day, though." I shrugged in response. "Nah, it wasn't that bad. All I did was swim the length of a river and bike an entire cycling road in one morning and afternoon. It really does tire a man and his Pokemon out, though."

I told Jasmine the tale of the 1440 degrees Treecko and the Magnemite who took on three of himself and won. "Ohm seriously took down a Magneton? He's gotten pretty strong... And hey. Where did you get that Treecko? You told Falkner, but he didn't tell me how..." Jasmine looked almost hurt. Uh oh... "Alright, Jasmine, story time!" I said at my wit's end, hoping she wouldn't break down in tears. Thankfully, she turned cheery again as I told the tale of the timid Pokemon professor.

"So the professor stepped on a Zigzagoon." "Yes." "He screamed like a little girl." "Yes." "He yelled at you to help him." "Yes." "He told you to get a Pokemon, not knowing you had your own. "Yes." "Even though you showed him Ohm, he still let you keep Ark." "That's about it." "Nice guy." Jasmine and I broke into laughter. "Well, Brendan, I'm going to sleep. Nice talking to you." I bid Jasmine good night as she hung up. I finished my dinner and checked the clock. 'Hmm, still early in the night, I could probably get to Littleroot.'

I thanked the nurse for her services, left a tip and got Ohm and Ark back. Strangely, the same people I saw earlier in the day on cycling road were still there in their exact same spots. '...Do these guys know what rest is?' Regardless, I biked down cycling road, walked to Route 103's eastern side, and prepared myself for the long swim.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Petalburg Woods...

I walked through Petalburg Woods with my Shroomish. "Ah, Dahlia, isn't this place nice?" Dahlia jumped in agreement. Walking deeper through the woods, a man in a uniform approached me. "Hey, you! Where'd you get that Shroomish? You see, I really like Sh-"

"HEY!" A man in a strange green suit yelled from a bit deeper from the woods. "Give me that briefcase, or else you'll know the true power of Team Zephyr!"


	4. How She Met Your Wally

"But... wait." I said. I could literally feel the question mark floating above my head. "You're... wearing a team Aqua outfit? With a green cloak?" The... Zephyr? Aqua? I don't know, grunt grimaced. "Well, duh, lady! If he doesn't give me that briefcase, we'll _all_ feel team Zephyr crawling up our asses! They're only trying to stop my team, and the lousy team Magma! They don't even have a proper goal aside from screwing with us! Now hand it over!"

I sighed. "I guess you're gonna have to fight me for it. I hope you aren't as weak as I think." The team Aqua grunt grit his teeth as he held out his Pokeball, ready to fight. Smirking in anticipation, I adjusted my outfit and looked at Dahlia.

"Come on, Dahlia, this'll be easy pickings."

* * *

Strangely, the water felt a _lot_ colder than when I swam in it earlier. I'd probably have attributed it to being night time, but oh no, this water was far colder. My Pokeballs were turning into Great Balls real fast, so I swam as fast as I could, trying to get out before I caught a bad cold. Thankfully, the waters were clear of trainers. I bet they were freezing half to death too.

Finally making it to shore, a resplendent light shot out of the river, color a faint aqua. Blinded by the intense light, I couldn't make anything out of the phenomenon outside a strange being rising from the water and disappearing into the night sky. Huh... for a second, I thought I was in an iceberg. It faded as quickly as it happened though, so I was left on my backside to wonder what the hell just happened.

I'd probably forget it by morning. I checked my watch. '8:30... I guess I'll crash at home for a while. I'm not that far away.' So I went home and knocked on the door, expecting mom to greet me. Nope, it was dad.

"Hey, kid." My dad, Norman, let me in. "Sup dad. How was the gym?" my dad shrugged. "Same as usual. This kid from earlier, Wally, came to my gym asking for a Pokemon. Since I knew his dad, I let him a Pokemon to catch his own by Route 102. I kinda expected someone to help him, though, so I really wonder how he's doing." Huh... Wally. Mom talked about him before, but I wasn't paying attention. Oh well.

"So, Brendan, what have you been up to today?" My dad asked. "Well, I got my first Pokemon, swam along Route 103's river, biked to Mauville, got their gym badge, and backtracked until I got back home." I pointed to the trail of water I left by the entrance and my own outfit, soaked like a handkerchief thrown in a puddle.

That apparently shocked him, color draining from his face. "...What?! You did all of that in one day?! Ergh... you weren't even supposed to travel across the water without getting my gym badge first..." I suddenly looked up. "Hey, can I challenge you sometime soon?" I suddenly whipped out a Pokeball. "HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW?" My dad whipped out his own Pokeball. "You're on!"

"Now now, gentlemen, save the roughhousing for later. Let's eat first!" Mom called us out from the kitchen, so we pocketed our Pokeballs and took our seats at the dinner table. Eating our meal, I told mom about my exploits today, barring the part with the trippy beam of light. That'd be a story for another day.

* * *

Earlier today, in Petalburg City...

Whew... finally off that hell of a boat ride. The beds felt like styrofoam, the blankets were practically stitched together. I was happy to get off that boat, and I'm pretty sure my Shroomish, Dahlia, was too. "Right, Dahlia?" I pat my Shroomish on the head. Dahlia smiled at me and leaped onto my head.

I got off the boat and stepped onto Petalburg Beach, a bustling new beach rivaling that of Slateport's. It even had a small boatyard where lots of ships were docked, but most notably an old looking one resting near a conspicuous cabin in the yard. Taking note of that for later, I walked into Petalburg City, breathing in the fresh air. Not knowing where to go, I walked over to the Gym to ask for directions.

"Hello?" I asked out loud as I entered the gym. A well-built middle aged dreamboat was standing in the middle of the room, stern look on his face. Oh, the things I would do to him... I mean, what? I'm a dignified lady, I wouldn't think of stuff so crass-

"Yes?" His deep, baritone voice resonated through the room. "How can I help you?" Resisting the urge to jump onto him, I steeled myself... and my voice. "Do you know where Rustboro City is? I have something to do there." The man stroked his chin. "Well, Rustboro's just north of here. What's your name?"

"Laurel." The man nodded. "Hello, Laurel, I'm Norman, the gym leader of this city. Nice meeting you." I nodded back. "Likewise, sir." I was just about to ask if he had a girlfriend, but-

"E-Excuse me...?" A meek voice came from the door. A sickly, green-haired boy slowly walked in, walking right past me and going straight to Norman. "Hello, uh, sir? Can you help me get a Pokemon?" Norman grinned. "Ah, of course. Wally, introduce yourself, this is Laurel. Laurel, this is Wally." Wally nodded to me and I nodded back.

"Say, Laurel, are you free in the next hour?" Norman asked. My heart was right about to burst out of my chest had he not continued. "Can you help Wally here catch a Pokemon? He's a bit inexperienced, so he might need some help. You're a trainer, right?" I nodded. There goes whatever lustful urges I didn't want to have but had anyway. "Yes, I'm a trainer. And of course I'll help him." I would have taken out my anger on him, but I would honestly feel horrible if I did.

We left for Route 102 to catch Wally's first Pokemon. "So, Wally," I started. "You ever have any experience with a Pokemon?" Wally looked up at me. "Huh? No, miss, I don't have any. I wanted a Pokemon to protect me..." I rubbed my cheek. "Please, don't call me miss. I'd sound like an old hag. Laurel is just fine, Wally." Wally nodded. "Okay, Laurel... where can we find wild Pokemon?"

This was going to be be fun.

Wally's presence in the tall grass was practically its own repel. Cringing at the sight of any movement in the grass caused the Pokemon hiding in it to make haste and get away. I sighed. "Wally, here's a tip from a seasoned trainer like me." That was a lie. I started two days ago. "When you want to catch wild Pokemon, you gotta be sneaky. Don't scare them off. You gotta walk slowly and lure one out like..." I crept up to a green object peeking out from the grass. "This!" I dove at it, engaging in a battle with a wild Ralts.

"Alright, Wally, I'll let you have this one." Wally ran over. "Uh, go! Zigzagoon!" Wally sent out the Zigzagoon who looked very confused about why his tall, sleek, dreamboat trainer suddenly transformed into a wimpy green haired one. "Zigzagoon, use..." Wally stopped and thought. Who do we ask when we don't know what to do? "...Laurel! What... can Zigzagoons use?" "TELL HIM TO USE TACKLE!"

"Oh, okay! Got it! Zigzagoon, use Tackle!" The Zigzagoon used tackle smacking the Ralts square in the... Ralts. I don't know. The Ralts growled intimidatingly at the Zigzagoon, scaring it a little. "Uh, use tackle again!" The Zigzagoon smashed into Ralts with less force probably due to its apprehension. The wild Ralts retaliated with a stronger growl, further scaring the Zigzagoon.

"Wally, the Ralts looks tired. Do you have a Pokeball?" Wally nodded. "Okay... throwing it now!" Wally threw the Pokeball onto the Ralts. Shake. Shake. Shake. Ping. Wally leaped into the air and cheered. I just smiled, looking at the boy's enthusiasm. He wasn't all that bad. "Thank you, miss Laurel! I'll go back to Mr. Norman right away and tell him the good news!"Wally ran straight to Petalburg, leaving both the Zigzagoon and I in Route 102. One day, kid.

Trudging back to the gym, with the Zigzagoon in hand, Wally was kneeling at Norman's feet, chanting all sorts of praise. Norman looked more than a bit embarrassed by the attention, so I broke the awkwardness for him. "Hey! Mr. Norman! Here's your Zigzagoon back." I gave him the Zigzagoon who happily licked Norman's face. Lucky-

"Laurel! Thank you ever so much for helping Wally. If there's anything I could do to help you, I'll do it." My mind was going into overdrive at this point, so I couldn't resist myself from asking this question. Actually, I really should have worded it like-

"Do you know where I can stay for the night? I'm still lost and it's late."

But I didnt. The question I actually _did_ ask was-

"Can I stay at your house for the night? I'm lost and it's getting late." Norman looked taken aback by the question. "Well, okay, as long as you behave in there. I actually do have a son-" NOOOOOOO "-that's about your age-"...yay? "But I don't think he's home. His mother called me and said he was going to be out for a while." ...Still yay? "Laurel, you can stay in his room while he's away. I don't see him coming back for a few days." I nodded respectfully then walked to his house in Littleroot.

If only I had known what'd happen next...

* * *

I looked up from my food. "Huh, this Laurel chick. She hot?" My dad nearly choked on my food as mom somehow glared at us both at the same time like a Charmander. "Well, I can't answer that without being arrested on pedophilia charges, but she had long, chestnut hair and a rather fair complexion. I'll leave you to decide." She was hot.

I thanked my mom for the meal and went up to my room. Something happened when I went up into my room, but what if I'd cared to listen to my dad when he said-

"Brendan! Wait!" I would have - and should have - turned around to listen to him. "She asked for a place to stay, so I allowed her to stay in your room since I didn't know you'd come back. She's definitely asleep by now so try not to wake her up!" My face _would_ have drained of its color since I was planning to sleep, so I would have decided to sleep on the couch instead.

...But no. I didn't listen to him. Instead, I stripped to my boxers and leaped onto my bed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Those screams echoed through all of Littleroot. That entire mess was a blur, but I could distinctly remember these questions being thrown around.

"Who the hell are you?!" "Who the hell are _you?!_ " "What are you doing in this room?!" "What are you doing in _my_ room?!" "Why are you naked?!" "Why aren't _you_ naked?!" "WHAT?!" "What?!"

My dad groaned from downstairs. "He should have listened." I could faintly hear my mom snickering.

* * *

10 minutes, one demolished Brendan's bedroom and two very embarrassed teenagers later, Laurel and I managed to somewhat sort what happened out. "Okay, okay, let's calm down." I _tried_ to say as she kept whacking me repeatedly with a pillow. "Hey! Let me explain!" Laurel reluctantly stopped. "Alright. I'll listen. Speak up or I'll keep hitting you."

"Okay, so, I went through the usual tirades of a trainer, swam along a river, biked up a bike road, beat a gym, biked down and swum back here somehow without any exhaustion, and I got home soaking wet so I wanted to sleep in my underwear and _apparently_ there was a girl in my bed sleeping in it!" I ran out of breath explaining. "Well, I went through the usual thing too, getting off a crappy boat, getting lost in the woods, having to fend off a team Aqua grunt and swallowing my pride to get a place to stay!"

We had a staring match so intense Ohm and Ark would be jealous. Dad yelled at us to come down, so we went down. Well, I literally went down because Laurel pushed me down the stairs. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." I fell face first on the floor, eliciting a triumphant snicker from Laurel. I'll get you good...

My dad clapped his hands. "Alright! You two, start over and introduce yourself." I looked at dad, then looked at Laurel, then looked at dad again. "Seriously?" "No allowance until you introduce yourself to her." I was about to say that he never gave me allowance in the first place, but I thought better of it. "Ergh... Hi. I'm Brendan." I extended my hand. "Fine, I'm Laurel." She took my hand and shook it.

I noticed the time. "Hmm, it's getting pretty late." I commented. "Can we continue this tomorrow?" Laurel yawned in response. "I was having a great night's rest until you screwed it up." Too tired to even make a witty comeback, I waved it off and crashed onto the couch, quickly falling sound asleep.

In hindsight, I should have put some clothes on first.


End file.
